Biking to Brews
While many activities are enticing during the summer in the city of New Orleans to make one's head spin, let us not skimp over the bustling brewery scene.
From Uptown to the Bywater and every neighborhood in between, the Crescent City is dotted with them. The majority of them are so close in proximity, you could easily and safely ditch your motorized vehicle and opt to enjoy the weather on a self-guided biking tour along the Mississippi River. Think of the beer as your carrot, the reward awaiting your parched lips after a not so arduous journey. In the words of Freddie Mercury, "I want to ride my bicycle," so let us ride and, for those 21 and over, let us drink responsibly. Here is your self-guided, bicycle riding, beer chugging brewery tour.
Port Orleans Brewing Company
Port Orleans opened its doors in 2017, courtesy of Richard Thomas, avid home brewer and owner of Blue Runner Foods. Mr. Thomas tapped (get it, "tapped?") into a select group of investors to turn his dream into reality, including former New Orleans Saints offensive tackle and Super Bowl champion Zach Strief (no big deal). The quality of the food is on par with the quality of their beer, and if you happen to pedal through on a Thursday night, you'll arrive just in time for trivia.
NOLA Brewing & Pizza Company
Located exactly one mile down Tchoupitoulas awaits your next destination, NOLA Brewing & Pizza Co. The only thing better than drinking local beer is supporting a local brewery that also happens to operate a NYC-style pizza shop. Live music and events are a staple of NOLA Brewing, and few beers can extinguish your thirst on a warm day like a NOLA Blonde can. Oh, and they just celebrated their 15 year anniversary in March 2024.
Miel Brewery & Taproom
You've successfully traversed Uptown and made it to Miel Brewery in the Irish Channel, an independent brewery, taproom, and beer garden. Congratulations. Your reward? Another beer, of course. If you need to slow it down a tad, even their non-alcoholic options, such as Key Lime Pie, are superb. Miel provides arguably the most innovative beers, seltzers, slushies, and nitro coffees in New Orleans, utilizing as many local ingredients as possible.
Urban South Brewery
At stop number four, your jokes are seemingly funnier and people are looking more attractive. Founder and President Jacob Landry spent time in Europe sampling everything from German lagers to English ales and had an epiphany that South Louisiana was drastically lacking in its beer quality and optionality. Fast forward to 2016 and Urban South Brewery is born, combining the heritage and traditions of European beer with the contemporary brashness of American-style beer. By God, he's done it. And their space is remarkable, too.
Crescent City Brewhouse
Crescent City Brewhouse is Louisiana's first brewpub and the French Quarter's oldest microbrewery. At this point, you can still count the number of brews you've had on one hand but things are at a tipping point. Fortunately for you, you easily blend in with just about everyone else meandering the Quarter (an inebriated ghillie suit). You've now been promoted to the Special Forces of alcohol consumption. Grab a pilsner and some local fare from this 17 barrel state of the art brewery.
Brieux Carré Brewing Company
With 12 rotating taps and a small but dedicated team bringing new recipes to the taproom each week, this Marigny microbrewery is a can't miss. Not to be a downer here, but unfortunately the forced COVID-19 shutdown is still negatively impacting business to present day, and they are operating on fumes at this point. So don't just pull up and enjoy a cold one—enjoy a cold one for a cause. They even have a GoFundMe called "Keep Brieux Carre Open As Long As Possible."
Bywater Brew Pub
If you haven't had a bite to eat by now, odds are you're in a weird place. As luck would have it, Bywater Brew Pub offers an upscale food menu along with curated craft beers brewed on-site. If you biked here on a Wednesday, you're in luck. Milkfish, a food pop-up dishing signature Filipino soul food, can be found inside. Steak night, bingo night, any night is as good a reason as any to stop on by.
Parleaux Beer Lab
You've made it, assuming you haven't wrecked your bike into a bush or stumbled out of a brewery only to find it stripped and sold for parts, of course. Welcome to Parleaux Beer Lab, a destination Bywater neighborhood hang where the only thing even remotely up to the standards of their imaginative beers is their merchandise. Seriously, they even have dog collars. Bring your good boy (or girl), grab a Runaway American Dream, and snag some beer-to-go on the way out.
